San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-08-12
Ms. latham as calmly as she could, but with

Mrs. latham as calmly as she could, but with
considerable trepidation.
"Oh, Il was the master-the old squire him
self, in the very blue coat and brass buttons
he used 10 wear. Right at the end Of tho
long passage Il was, ma'am, and oh, was
that frightened just screamed and run no
hard as ever couldIn
swell, well, said Mrs. Latham, who, after
all, was a pretty plucky woman, "your
screaming might RAISE the dead any day.
Now let Us 90 and see whit all this means"
"Oh, Mrs. Latham, please don't go, ma'am,
please DON'T
Seeire how really in earnest the girl was
and moreover, being herself not without Ger.
tain secret misgiyings, she allowed herself to
be persuaded, for these tales about her hus-
bands ghost were beginning 10 worry her,
and may be that was why she so seldom fire.
quented the part Of the house where he was
said 10 appear She comforted the scared
servant girl with n lace collar and promise
Of increasing her wages, and in the hustle Of
Thanksgiving preparations soon forgot all
about ghosts, falling yellow leaves and wintry
winds But the next week she missed from
her bureau drawer a valuable set Of diamond
jewelry which had evidently been stolen, and
could only console herself with the sorrowful
reflection that her days for such adornments
were passed.
Thanksgiving came at length, cold and
clear, bringing with it early in tho forenoon
a large two horse sleigh containing Judge
Halby and the Rev. Mr.. Purley, albeit the
judge was beginning to regard the parson as
something Of rival Later on came many
other guests, among whom were five young
ladies wearing five engagement rings and nc
companied by the five joyous young gentle
men who had bestowed the same. IL was the
first time the house had been opened since
the squire's death, and the festivities were
decorously cheerful The large parlors wera
decked with evergreens and autumn leaves,
and in the great fireplace the red hearts Of
the maple logs roared in deep contentment or
sent out their cheerful crackle amid the con-
versation and laughter. There was a great
deal Of flirting and love making between the
five engaged couples, and perhaps something
Of the same sort was demurely initiated by
their elders. Mr.. Purley, himself bachelor,
was quite carried away with the current, and
as for the judge, although keeping his eye on
the widow and the parson, he was as young
as the youngest, and smote the hearts Of the
five would be bridegrooms with mad jeal-
ousy by his marked attentions TO their fan.
Gees.
So the pleasant hours wore swiftly away, un.
til ii was declared time to break up and then
after much preparation and rafting of har.
ness, they drove up TO the door the five sleighl
which were to take the five engaged couples
home-presumably by the longest way. Then
the rest of the company followed, and don't
think that the judge found particular oppor.
tunity TO press the widows hand at parting,
although something very much like a sigh es-
capped her when the last faint jingle of the
sleigh bells died away across the snow She
told herself with another sigh, as she put ont
the lights and sat down before the dying em-
bers, that she had bad a very pleasant day,
the pleasantest since her husbands death,
dear man. and then she fell to thinking about
his unquiet ghost, for she had heard more
than her servants suspected, and wondered IL
it really was safe for her to he alone I'm that
great house. The fire was burning low and
the parlors were chilly, so taking a candle
stick from Off the mantel, she started up
stairs for bed At the top Of the staircase the
hallway divided one passage leading to her
own room and the other TO that wing of the
house which was the scene Of these silly
stories. Mrs. Latham drew her Indian shawl
up over her shapeIy shoulders. for she was al.
ready shivering a little and the house was
draughty.
Suddenly, at the top of tbs stairs, her can
die blew out, and there, at the end of the long
passage-surely it could not be, for she could
not see its face-but there, at any rate, in the
white moonlight was the blue coat with
brass bottoms the patent leather CATERS and
the gold headed walking stick of the lato
squire, and their present possessor, whether
man or ghost, was standing with his back
turned, looking intently out of the window.
Mrs. Latham might have screamed. tainted
away, or have boldly faced the intruder, but,
assuming none of these privileges of her sex,
simply stood still and watched. The figure
moved away without turning and disappeared
in a small passage at the left. Then Mrs.
Latham walked deliberately to her room, re-
lighted her candle and sat down to think.
Well, she didn't know what to think, except
ing that it was time to go to bed. Directly
before her hung a large portrait Of her hus-
band in a massive gilt frame, and, treasured
by the familiar surroundings, she said her
prayers and then began TO undo her hair be-
fore the glass. She was rather fond Of her
glass, by the way, especially now that tho
rich folds Of her hair flowed in glossy ripples
back over her well proportional shoulders.
Right behind that shining torrent, into which
her comb was now plunging, was the squire's
portrait, so that his face was looking directly
at her.
"What did he W" She turned suddenly
and looked up at the picture Yes, there
could be no doubt about it; the painting &c
tually winked its left eye at her. She remem-
bered the dignifled demeanor of the old gen.
tleman when in life, and then he winked
again, as unmistakably as before. If the
widows heart was soft it was also stout, and
losing no time she reused from their midnight
slumbers the gardener, the coachman and the
cook, and led the quaking menials up into her
room before the picture. With her own
hands she helped the gardener to take down
the ponderous frame from off the nail, and
directly behind the canvas a pretty large hole
in the partition was discovered. The apart
ment next was a sort of disused lumber room,
and she commanded her sturdiest retainer to
lock the only door leading into it from the
hall.
The young fellow with some hesitation
obeyed. Then she stood upon a chair with a
candle and looked through the hole. And
there, sneaking in the farthest corner she
saw the squires ghost, his double, impudently
clad in the sacred brass buttoned dress coat
Sandy Sheriff., the biggest thief in Swans
down county. All the missing diamonds
were recovered, and Sheriff. served term in
state prison; but the widows wrath knew no
bounds when she found out the rogue mas
querading in her husbands sacred garments
to scare the servants, as he said. But TO think
he should nave the audacity to cut the squire's
painted eye from the canvas and substitute
therefor his own villainous opticl Really, it